Thursday, October 23, 2008

"Stand Up Against Poverty" inspires a new U2 song

It was the largest demonstration that the world has ever seen. It broke a Guinness World Record for the "for the biggest mass mobilization on a single issue".

Yet it failed to make headlines here in the US. Was there any coverage on the 24 hour news networks about "Stand Up Against Poverty"?

Anyway, the protest has inspired Bono to write a new song on exactly what the protest was about, standing up to the leaders of the developed world, and make them be accountable to the promises they made.

Reuters interviewed Bono on carrying on the theme of "Stand Up Against Poverty in song. Lesley Wroughton talked with the rock star/activist.

"It's not finished yet but it's inspired by this concept of stand up. It's a little diamond, though," Bono said, speaking by telephone from Los Angeles.

"It's not a 'let's hold hands and the world is a better place sort of song.' It's more kick down the door of your own hypocrisy," he said.

"Although they were not a legal contract, and we wish they were, there is a moral contract that was made," Bono said.

"To break a promise to yourself, to your partner, to your family, a politician to his constituents, are all bad things to do -- but it's a heinous crime to make a promise to the poorest most vulnerable people on earth and break it. That's just not acceptable," he said.

He said while the MDGs may be "the worst acronym in the history of activism," the Stand Up and Take Action events around the world on Oct 17 to 19 showed that people knew what they stand for.

"The numbers show that people are aware that those promises were made and why politicians can't think 'oh we can get away with it because no one really knows about it'" Bono said.

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